Novopay saga continues: 5000 unpaid

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Novopay saga continues

3News NZ

Staff received advice from Novopay, which said it had paid 92,000 people last night, including holiday pay, with the exception of about 5000 staff

Staff received advice from Novopay, which said it had paid 92,000 people last night, including holiday pay, with the exception of about 5000 staff

This afternoon, a Central Otago teacher aide sent Campbell Live a copy of her payslip.

We think she might be the best paid teacher aide in the country; normally paid at just over $14 an hour, on December 19 she will receive – according to Novopay – more than $500,000 an hour.

On that same day, she will be docked $62,000 an hour.

That money hasn’t been deposited into her account, but she’s still unable to work out if she has been paid correctly, and the school is worried it will come out of their operations budget.

When we first met Snell’s Beach School principal Jill Corkin to talk about Novopay, she said “they’re not teething problems, they’re monumental”.

It was about the same time the Ministry of Education was saying this:

“We are paying 89,000 people successfully. We’ve done three cycles, we’ve got a fourth one coming up this Wednesday, and we’re really confident we’ll have less than 100 errors this time going forward.”

Around two months earlier, Associate Minister of Education Craig Foss said this:

“I have been given assurances from the Ministry that all holiday pay issues will be sorted.”

So now, three months on, Ms Corkin is saying there is something rotten in the system.

“Some people have made some really major, bad decisions and I think their heads should roll.”

The ministry has offered assurances time and again the Novopay would be sorted. It hasn’t been – it anything, it’s gotten worse.

“If I made decisions like that in this school or the board made decisions like that, that went on for this length of time, we would have been sacked and a commissioner would be in here.”

And it’s not just Ms Corkin – principals around the country can’t believe how bad the system is.

“This pay is the worst, without a doubt,” says Rowandale School Principal Judd McLauchlan.

“The Ministry or the Govt who are telling the public everything is getting better […] it’s a load of rubbish.”

And as for the complete lack of accountability from anyone involved, Ms McLauchlan says she is “disgusted”.

“I’m disgusted in John Key, I’m disgusted in [Education Minister] Hekia Parata, Mr Foss, the whole nine yards of everybody involved behind putting through Talent2.

“People need to be accountable for this. People need to be aware this is creating a lot of hassle, for a lot of really good people doing wonderful things out there for all those beautiful children in our country.

“It’s a disgrace.”

Today, staff received advice from Novopay, which said it had paid 92,000 people last night, including holiday pay, with the exception of about 5000 staff.

Novopay goes on to assure those staff that their holiday pay will be in their accounts by Thursday morning.

“If the employee has received no pay at all, contact the Novopay Service Centre immediately.”

Watch the video for the full report.

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Comments

18/02/2013 7:27:19 p.m.

Gillian Hammond wrote:

Have just watched the smarmy Ms Parata on Campbell Liv e - get it right Hekia! It is not just TEACHERS who are being affected by the error-ridden Novopay - it is ALL school employees - including administrators, cleaners, caretakers, teacher aides, school librarians ... Get it right Hekia! This is well beyond a joke!!!

5/02/2013 9:07:30 p.m.

Nicky wrote:

Well, this hassle just doesn’t allow people to live normally. Money is a very important part of our life, all of us need to pay bills and feed families and that’s why it’s very important to get your wage in time with no any misunderstandings. There should be an order, teachers teach our children and work hard so I am sure they deserved to get their salary in time with no hassle. All of us have financial commitments such as paying bills, some people need to make payments on their loans or <a href="http://paydayloansat.com/">paydayloans</a> and that’s why it’s extremely important for them to get their salaries with no troubles and inconveniences.

23/01/2013 10:10:56 p.m.

kerry wrote:

Last term I discovered that MOE staff are not paid by the Novopay system. Maybe we would have more action if they were. I am also dissappointed in the slow action of the union in supporting it's members. How many other professions would put up with this debacle?

22/01/2013 4:29:17 p.m.

Katy wrote:

When I rang Novopay this morning, they told me it was breaching the Privacy Act to discuss my pay entitlement with me! I was then told that if I wanted to pursue it further, I had to ring the Ministry of Education to act as an advocate for me. I hung up in disbelief...

22/01/2013 9:08:38 a.m.

Kealy Warren wrote:

I just yelled at novopay. They have told my rpincipal they are deducting me for over paying and have on my pay slip a double pay. Also no releiving again Ring them up and they wont talk to me about my pay!! Surely that is not legal??? So so frustrated. Please keep the focus on them Campbell Live. No one else cares that i can't pay my bills and that payday is now so so stressfull.

18/01/2013 2:55:51 p.m.

Mrs J wrote:

Dear Campbell Live - PLEASE keep focus on Novopay. Nobody else seems to care about actually fixing this huge mess and paying people. I got off the phone to Novopay yesterday and cried. The woman who had answered the phone sounded about 12 and so unsure it wasn't funny. Plus she couldn't work a hold button so I could hear the "umm,umm?" going on in the background. Does National really hate teachers this much?

15/01/2013 8:13:27 p.m.

Rosie wrote:

I am also one of the teachers that has had no pay since the beginning of December. I have a baby and a toddler to feed and a mortgage to pay. I have been in contact with the Ministry of Education and toldmthat everyone is too busy to talk to me so can I please put my problem in writing. I have done this - 8 days ago. I have still had no response. I resent my email yesterday and added i would appreciate at least some acknowledgement of my email. I have still heard nothing. We are not being paid, have no money to feed our kids and pay our bills. It has gone on for far too long. It is just not fair. We start back at school in 2 weeks, though with not being paid do I even go? What else can we do? I have had a gutsfull. It has caused such unecessary stress to myself and my family. I bet Novopay all have had a great holiday and Christmas spending all their $ while we have been stressed and left trying to get by! Ill have a great bill for them for all my failed automatic payment transactions and that is just the start!

8/01/2013 8:45:31 a.m.

Felicity wrote:

Contact they! What a joke they are making of this I am one of those 5000 and I have kids to feed now step up govt and sort you problem out you are showing everyone how bad an employer you are and this country can not afford to losse good staff from our schools.

2/01/2013 7:57:54 p.m.

Erica wrote:

I have been waiting for my xmas pay which is meant to be about 2500 or there abouts. Every time I phone the ministry of Education (who are meant to be able to sort out people's pay isues) I have to speak to a different person every time and each time I am told "we will look into it". Its empty promise after empty promise with no email or phone contact from anyone about what is happening. I am also owed relieving money from the end of the year and When I asked my school why it had not been paid, they discovered that the report showed that it was taken off me automatically to cover some of what I was overpaid back in August!!! They took it without telling me that's what they were going to do...........and I still wait and hope that I will get my xmas pay! we are all sooooo over this whole thing and something has got to give. It's enough to make teachers want to find another career just so they will be guaranteed a regular correct pay packet every week.

21/12/2012 1:09:55 p.m.

Shannon wrote:

I was due my pay increment in September and have been promised it will come every payround since, today however it's still missing! I'm fortunate that my bank is giving me an interest free overdraft for the time being, but how is it their responsibility? I have two mortgages to pay on my own and as I'm changing roles at the end of this term I'm terrified about what they might stuff up next! Each time they've been informed about my missing money they've told my school that it's up to them to loan me money from their private funds (too bad if they don't have any spare) and that I'll have to wait until the next round. I wonder if that response would be accepted by our members of parliament if their recent pay increases weren't paid when due?